In Bible times, the Israelites didn’t have smartphones, tablet computers and laptops to take video, pictures or to write down important things that they would save for their children and grandchildren. Instead, they would usually pass knowledge and sentiments down through songs that they would teach their children. Other times, stories would be told and passed down through the generations. They might’ve also decorated their houses by writing important information and posting it on their doors or, even literally, wearing scripture on their wrists and foreheads as if it were a form of jewelry. Whatever the case, if something were important enough for one generation, it would be passed down to those who would be born after them. That is the way it was with the commandments that God gave them, so that future generations would continue to follow them. In Deuteronomy 6:6-9 the Bible says:
“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Like the Israelites, God wants us to pass down our faith to our children. We need to talk about it when we sit at home and when we walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up, as the Bible says. It should be so important to us, that we should make it a part of our daily conversation. Our children shouldn’t have to wait for Sunday school to learn about God. And we shouldn’t have to attend a Bible study to get our weekly dose of Bible knowledge. Families should talk about God on a daily basis. Do you? If not, I’d encourage you to find ways to make your faith a greater part of who you are. Just as important, we need to pass our faith down to our children so that they can pass it down to theirs and so on. We’re not just talking about a neat tradition here, we’re talking about generations of souls that need to be taught the truth.
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It is our responsibility to pass what we know about God to the next generation. It could be our kids, nephews, nieces, grandkids, or even our brothers and sisters. In a world where the gospel is being silenced and treated as irrelevant, those of us who know that eternity hangs in the balance should treat it as the most precious thing we can pass down to another. It is literally more important than anything you could ever give someone. And when God is talked about consistently, the truth can be planted so deep that when they grow old, they will not depart from it. God’s command to the Israelites is his command to us as well. God should be a daily conversation within our families, because if they don’t see us valuing the gospel, they may not either.